Well, after taking a break Ive decided to just get this over with... First, my car: 325i Sport/Premium packages and non-iDrive. These instructions should be pretty much the same for all sport E90's, but I cant guarantee that it is. The only new part that I needed was the wheel itself. ...

I had my wheel changed to M Sport Wheel yesterday (done by my dealer). What happened to me was that I now have to hold the wheel a bit way to the left to have my car go straight.

Was it possible that they aligned it wrong? Would you be able to fit the steering wheel back if the line on the wheel and the line on the column were not aligned?

If that's not possible, maybe my car need wheel alignment. But if that could happen, I think I have to follow this guide to see for my eyes if the wheel was installed properly.

I had that experience, too. I thought it was just me at first then I saw this post and the guy above who just quoted this! I thought it was the alignment of the car being wrong or something... I don't know disconnecting the battery would help this, though...

Just a guess, but was it not correctly placed on the column? I'd have to re-read the first posts in here, but I know on my old Subaru (on which I did an STi wheel swap), the wheel pushed on to a toothed spline, and you had to line it up correctly. So maybe it was installed "off" by just a little bit?

Just a guess, but was it not correctly placed on the column? I'd have to re-read the first posts in here, but I know on my old Subaru (on which I did an STi wheel swap), the wheel pushed on to a toothed spline, and you had to line it up correctly. So maybe it was installed "off" by just a little bit?

The dealer must have thrown off the alignment a bit. There is no way to insert the wheel off center on the steering column. There is a thick alignment notch that prevents the wheel from being misaligned.

The dealer must have thrown off the alignment a bit. There is no way to insert the wheel off center on the steering column. There is a thick alignment notch that prevents the wheel from being misaligned.

Quick question for you guys... I recently got a Mtech steering wheel in the mail - airbag included. How can I take off the airbag on a steering wheel that's already detached? I tried looking for clips to take off the airbag, but don't see them... And i don't want to just pry the airbag off - for fear of breaking something. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: ok... i realized this was a silly question. Once i started playing w/ the wheels, i realized that you just need to find those holes. For you guys who have a hard time finding those holes - refer to the picture below!! I've deliberately opened the hole just a little bit and took the picture as quickly as i can lol.

If you look at the picture below, that hole is where you'll stick your screwdriver in to release those retaining clips. If you get one side of the airbag off and the other side is being stubborn (like mine was), I would encourage you to just clip the airbag back in and start on the other side... that's what i did, and it came out without a problem. Don't force anything! Make sure you get the clip and the airbag will pop out by itself... no need to pull hard or anything like that. Good luck!

The original post in the OP should really be updated with a few things:
- the location of the slots up above
- the different location of the airbag clips if coming from a non-sport wheel
- and the problem with one of the hub's clips that require sanding down to fit if swapping from a non-sport wheel to an msport/m3 wheel: (refer to my thread here or post #774 in this thread and post #527 in this thread.

Thanks a lot for the DIY guide. I would appreciate if anyone can help me on this. My car has a heated non sport steering wheel. I am looking to replace it with the M steering wheel. Since mine is heated, is there a plug inside the steering wheel? And what do I do with the plug? Just leave it hanging inside the M steering wheel? Thanks again.

Thanks a lot for the DIY guide. I would appreciate if anyone can help me on this. My car has a heated non sport steering wheel. I am looking to replace it with the M steering wheel. Since mine is heated, is there a plug inside the steering wheel? And what do I do with the plug? Just leave it hanging inside the M steering wheel? Thanks again.

I don't believe any Mtech or M3 steering wheels are heated... i also don't think there's a way to retrofit the heated function on either of the steering wheels - i'm not 100% on this though.

I understand that I cannot retrofit the heated function to the M steering. I just wanna know what to do with the heated wires and plug for my existed non-sport heated steering wheel? Should I just leave them in the steering column or is there a way to remove them completely? Thanks again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SE3P_to_E90

I don't believe any Mtech or M3 steering wheels are heated... i also don't think there's a way to retrofit the heated function on either of the steering wheels - i'm not 100% on this though.

I understand that I cannot retrofit the heated function to the M steering. I just wanna know what to do with the heated wires and plug for my existed non-sport heated steering wheel? Should I just leave them in the steering column or is there a way to remove them completely? Thanks again.

Hey man, I'm sorry i can't be of more assistance here. I'm not sure why it would matter if you leave the plug unplugged. I installed a sunglass holder which effectively eliminated my cigarette lighter, and I left that plug unplugged; No issues. However, i do not assume any liability in your case since I do not have any experience with your concerns. Good luck!

Thanks SE3P to E90. I think leaving the plug unplugged is the way to go and I may put the original wheel back on when it's time to let her go.

Do that. hold on to the original steering wheel... plus, when it's time to let you gal go, you can sell the upgraded steering wheel to recoup some costs.

Remember, take your time, don't force anything. If anything, I would Practice on the steering wheel you're about to install. Make sure you play with those retention clips, and get comfortable before you remove the airbag. If the airbag is being difficult, you're probably doing something wrong. I practiced on my Mtech steering wheel (screwdriver to retention clips) before I attempted to take everything off.

Also, when you plug everything back, make sure you plug your key in and turn on your headligths. that way, when you plug the battery back in, you won't short circuit anything. shouldn't be a problem, but just in case.

It was actually hard to find the Mtech wheel with the perforated leather like OP has but I eventually found a used one on ebay in good condition

bought from a guy in Germany and it should be here by next week, i'll post a before picture here and an after picture once I install the new wheel.

if you look closely you can see the rubber on the wheel is peeling on the sides by the buttons .. apparently this happens to many owners? Since i'm OCD it bothered the hell out of me, fortunately the MTech wheels don't peel like that

Thanks to this thread saved myself 150$ and gained experience that I can use the rest of my life much appreciated. Took 1 1/2 hours. Used 2 different screw drivers, pliers, a wrench and a power drill for the 16mm bolt. Most difficult part for me was getting the airbag off. YouTube videos and rehearsing where my screwdriver should be hitting in my new wheel helped alot. Thanks again!!